Aishling the AIrstream: Update No. 34

 Bledsoe Creek State Park

Gallatin, TN 

We had originally planned to attend a rally in South Mississippi but decided we needed to be a little closer to home right now...

So when a space opened up for this Music City Rally, we decided to join in... 

They are such a great Airstream Club! 

We'd never been to this Tennessee State Park and now we're wondering - WHY NOT?! It's located just outside the adorable town of Gallatin - I'll share more on that in a bit -

 

From their website: "Bledsoe Creek supports an abundance of wildlife and served as hunting grounds for indigenous peoples, including the Cherokee, Chickamauga, Creek, and Shawnee. Nearby Cragfont, Hawthorn Hill, Wynnewood, and Bledsoe’s Fort interpret the diverse history of 18th & 19th century Tennessee. The Bledsoe Creek territory became a Tennessee State Park in 1973. Today this park draws in campers, hikers, and fishers to Old Hickory Lake, a reservoir created by the Corps of Engineers. The park features 68 campsites with amenities, three hammock-only primitive sites and two group campsites. There are more than four miles of scenic hiking trails. The trails meander through the forest and along the lakeshore of the park. One mile of these trails is paved making it accessible to persons with disabilities."

We were the only ones to brave the weather and show up early -  lol -  OF COURSE THIS PHOTO IS EDITED - but the snow was really coming down that much after we had dinner in town. Pretty cool [literally - ha.]

It was fun to catch up with our sweet friends from the Memphis area... 

And, yes - the rally was a French themed

Wally Byum Sidewalk Cafe affair - 

 

We did what we could with thrift-shop attire - lol

Except for our blue berets, of course...

[It's an airstream thing, y'all.] 

 

This is a fun group to be with - 

We love camping with them when we can!

 

Bledsoe Creek State Park is a hidden gem that we honestly knew nothing about before this weekend. There is nothing negative about it -

And we'll definitely be back when we can work it into our schedule!

We can't remember ever spending time in Gallatin before and at night it's like a Hallmark Movie downtown - with festive lights hanging throughout the streets and the best little shops and eateries... 

 

We kinda 'fell in love' with their local Italian Restaurant - LaVinita -

So much so that we actually ate there twice during our time there. 

It was DELICIOUS.

 

The downtown area was wonderful! 

And so cozy at night...

Yes - we'll definitely be back....

#HardwickAdventures

#AishlingtheAirstream

Thursday THree

 

 

1. THIS has been a busy camping month.  And we love it.

2. I say it over and over again --> SPRING IN THE SOUTH IS BEAUTIFUL 

[even with all THAT weather.]

3. A special person in our lives is going to have a heart procedure on Tuesday. Will you keep them in your prayers? tia

Thursday Three:

 

1. We've worked over-time all week getting ready for a BIG rally at Cathedral Caverns State Park [photo above taken today] then did the sensible thing and postponed it at the last minute because I can't bear the thought of thirty airstreams and their owners being surrounded by tornado weather for most of the weekend. 

2. We also enjoyed a day with Craig's mother, a few meetings [VAC, book club, & botanical gardens]... and I had a wonderful facial yesterday.. .

3. And right now, I'm planning how [where] to store all this rally stuff until November...
Stay safe and weather aware friends!

#HardwickAdventures

Thursday Three:

 

1. We took a quick little trip to Auburn last weekend to PICK UP something we think we'll enjoy [a lot.]
2. Continued finalizing things for our upcoming Region 6 VAC Rally [vintage airstream club] - we're going to have over 65 people there! Y'all pray that the rain is minimal!
3. I love wearing my blue and yellow sunflower dress from @gudrunsjoden.nyc - keeping those who are hurting in my prayers -

#HardwickAdventures
#gudrunista

Photo is from BeReal - I cleaned up the garden a bit this week, and I can see our bottle tree, lol. . .

 

Thursday THree

 

1. Last weekend we finished up our volunteer time with Mama Zelda, @thomasdambo s newest troll - and he and his team are AMAZING. They worked through below freezing temps, tornado like winds, snow, and general Alabama winter/spring weather - and finished her up in three weeks. SHE'S WONDERFUL! [I know tmi- lol]

2. I scrapbooked some, had lunch with friends, Craig fished, checked on his mother one day, and we enjoyed a moment with our Bolton family.

3. Creatively, I'm trying something new this year and doing a commonplace book. [Inspired by @Brandi_Kincaid ] And y'all, I'm loving it! I'll share more later!

#hardwickadventures

Thursday Three

1. It has been a lazy COLD week - we got cozy and watched a couple of seasons of Miss Scarlet on PBS.
2. I also enjoyed a little crafty time in our warm house as the snow glittered outside my window...
3. And... we pulled ourselves out of hibernation at 22* one morning to continue helping with our new favorite troll!
#hardwickadventures

Aishling the AIrstream: Update No. 33

 

 Let's talk DISNEY!

And Fort Wilderness Campground -

 one of our all-time favorite places to camp -- 

We try to go each winter* and last year as we were leaving we kept seeing more and more [AND MORE] airstreams coming in to the campground - 

Of course we explored this [!!] and learned that the South Florida and Treasure Coast Clubs co-host this rally - so we decided to join in!

Our sweet friends Jeff and Dena decided to join in the fun too! 

And while this was different from our other times at Disney

 [THAT RALLY SCHEDULE] - we still had a blast!

 

Some Rally things - Breakfast and Dinner were provided almost every day...

And of course, good ole campfires too! 

 

- LOVE the Mickey Flamingos

 that started showing up everywhere! SO FUN!

 

Group firework viewing at The Marina was fun!

Complete with sound affects! 

[As in -- music and narration from the park -]

 

The 'sign-up' meals for Disney Springs 

was a wonderful way to meet other 'streamers!

 

Craig and I did a pancake breakfast for everyone one morning - 

and he perfected the mickey pancake - so cute!

Pro-tip: Use an ice bucket to keep hot things hot and cold things cold.

[Something I learned from other vintage campers - ] 

{Glad we found two ice buckets that match!}

So fun that Dale was out and about

 in the campground one day! 

There were lots more planned activities - 

The Golf Cart Parade, Chalk Art Contest, Monorail Crawl, and Hoop Dee Do as well as others I'm sure I'm forgetting. It made for a busy time!

And, I don't know... we've gotten used to being a little laid back and lazy 

at Disney these last few years. 

[We've done the ole 'rope drop' to midnight plenty of times in the past ...]

We still took the time  to 'Loop the Fort' to enjoy seeing everyone's campers and decorations - as well as some of the 'back-country' trails...This is the first time we've been at The Fort with our bikes and they were GREAT.

While most of the group enjoyed the Hoop Dee Do we had a delicious meal at Artist Point [Ft. Wilderness Lodge] with these characters - Always fun! And the Prime Rib and Popovers are DEELISH.

WE LOVE DISNEY TRANSPORTATION.

[And yes - we know we're crazy -]

We took the bus over to The Studios then hopped on the SkyLiner for a bit before heading over to The Boardwalk [via Epcot] to take a boat to The Swan...

where we relaxed a minute before dinner...

I always try to bring along my drink of choice...IYKYK.

We enjoyed a wonderful Mediterranean meal at Amare at The Swan Reserve before heading back for the group campfire...

[This is probably our 2nd favorite meal at Disney -]

We were able to swim a couple of days and we so enjoy

 the 'grown up' pool with very few people in it!

And I'm happy to say that we managed all our STUFF on our bikes just fine [thanks to Craig tucking the pool noodles in all around -]

We enjoyed our traditional night-time monorail ride around EPCOT

- still missing those ride-up-front days from the past...

And it's always fun when we can time it to see the 

Magic Kingdom fireworks over the train station - 

 

We enjoyed breakfast at BOMA - and it was good - 

with some tasty things we might not find other places - but in retrospect... I probably wouldn't spend the $$ on this... [I can make Mickey Waffles at home, y'all -] 

Instead, I'd go straight to the Savanna Trails 

and see what's out and about there... 

LOVED seeing the zebras and giraffes!

 

And OF COURSE we enjoyed the flamboyance of flamingos too!

[A little nasty - but] Oh So Pretty! 

After lunch one day we walked around Disney Springs 

and had to stop to enjoy the goodness of a Dole Whip - 

Yes. PLEASE.

 It's always neat to see everything that has changed... but also the things that [I hope] are forever the same - like The World of Disney and Lego Stores...

 

And I always enjoy seeing a great big bunch of Disney Balloons!

[Knowing I'm not the one fighting {struggling}

 with it all day to get it 'home' safely. HA. Again - IYKYK]

 

So the 2025 Disney Trip is complete -

PRO TIP: Take the BUS to Disney Springs - even with their new and improved parking decks [which we love!], this is the fastest and most trouble-free way to get there. 

 

* We usually make a quick stopover in Perry, Georgia on the way down... and this year we decided a couple of things -

 

1. Next year we'll probably go later in February because 

two Florida trips in one month was A LOT.

2. The one-day trip home is a thing of the past [unless it's a necessity for some reason -] We're too old to be getting up at 5:30 a.m. for an ALL DAY trip home. HA.